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BT Sport to air Rio Ferdinand testimonial

by Stephen Chapman

BT Sport has announced that it will be airing Rio Ferdinand’s testimonial match at Old Trafford this August.

The game between Manchester United and Sevilla could become the most viewed testimonial ever, following a deal with Streamworks International, which will stream the match to 170 countries through a dedicated website: www.riotestimonial.com.

The match is scheduled 2 days before the Premier League season kicks off and will reportedly feature Usain Bolt donning the United shirt.

Ferdinand has made 432 appearances for United since joining from Leeds 12 years ago. He’s just signed a one year contract extension with the club, as well as a 3-year deal with BT Sport to be a programme-maker, pundit and interviewer.

“Manchester United is a unique club with fans in every corner of the globe so I am delighted that my testimonial is going to be so widely available to all of the club’s supporters in so many countries. It is going to be a fantastic and fun evening and there will be famous sporting faces and celebrities popping up all over the place, so it should be an incredible night,” said Ferdinand.

In the UK the live streaming will be available free for all viewers.

“We are delighted to be associated with a huge star like Rio in all the different ways he is featuring on BT Sport and we are thrilled that his testimonial is going to be live on BT Sport,” added Simon Green, head of BT Sport.

“To mark this special occasion, we’ve put together a groundbreaking plan to help make this game available to millions of fans across the globe, and it is something of a technology first for a game to be streamed live on this scale.”